WORDS
MARK SMITH, CLAIRE MARTIN
PRICES ARE PER PERSON WITHOUT DRINKS
0 8 9
KNRDY
Budapest
|
Steakhouse
|
€60
hungarians love their meat
. Rather like
the French with bread, a meal in the land
of the Magyars isn’t complete without a
humongous hunk of the good stuff. That’s
why we were surprised to hear that the
nation’s capital didn’t have a top steak
restaurant until KNRDY opened in 2013.
The brainchild of Zoltán Konrády
(entrepreneur, foodie and gourmet-meat
importer), this sleek, masculine restaurant
has been styled like a Manhattan
steakhouse, but without any of the
half-hearted vegetarian options (sorry,
veggies). You won’t find Hungarian cows
on the menu either; the plump cuts lying
enticingly under a glass counter are likely
prime dry-aged Black Angus from the USA,
Australian Wagyu (more affordable than
Japanese) or Argentinan filet mignon.
If you’re keen for something more
traditional, go for the crispy, mangalica
pork belly – an indigenous curly-haired pig
with a particularly rich flavour. A fitting
addition to any meat-lover’s itinerary.
Október 6, utca 15, +36 1 788 1685,
knrdy.com
Julius Bar & Grill
Amsterdam
|
BBQ
|
€65
you could say
Amsterdam’s IQ Creative group is all about
the sauce. This is, after all, the company behind Supperclub,
the nightspot-cum-eatery that hosted the Girls Aloud crew
last year – an evening which ended in Instagrammed
toe-sucking and tabloid sensation.
Its newest venture – a low lit, glitzy BBQ joint just shy
of hipster epicentre De Pijp – also has sauce galore, albeit
of the bottled rather than burlesque variety. Dishes are
served with heady, house-made condiments, among them
a noteworthy concoction with hints of cola and coffee.
Smother at your peril, however, for Julius – named after
its TV-star chef, Julius Jaspers – is no heavy-handed,
steak-and-chips affair. A salmon and crème fraîche starter is
so zingy it’s akin to diving butt naked into a fjord. Vietnamese-
style pork belly is a must for meat eaters, delivered with a
fish-and-chilli dipping sauce you could happily drink.
Mains-wise, things just get more indulgent: a steak
sandwich as red and raunchy as anything on display in the
Old Town, and spare ribs that luxuriate in hoisin and honey
glaze. Make room for the small, but perfectly formed tarte
tartin: a happy ending indeed.
256-260 Ceintuurbaan, +31 (0)20 344 6406,
juliusbargrill.nl
R E S T A U R A N T
R E V I E W S
V I E W P O I N T S
01
Julius’ sleek interior
is in contrast to its
juicy, saucy dishes
02
Vietnamese-style pork
belly with a nuoc mam
cham (fish) sauce
02
01
